Statement
Statement from County Executive Marc Elrich on Montgomery County Public Schools Superintendent
For Immediate Release: Friday 2 February
As a former teacher, a MCPS graduate, a grandparent of a current student, and as County Executive, I am very concerned about what happens in our schools. I have been following these recent events even though as County Executive I don’t have a role - the County government provides funding for the schools but does not have authority over the school system.
As I demonstrated last year during the budget process, I am committed to funding the schools and making sure they have the resources they need. Our schools are critically important to the well-being of the county at every level, so what happens there is impactful on the County as a whole.
To be clear, at no point has the Board of Education discussed the current issues with me. We still don’t know what happened and who did what; we don’t know the roles of different people, and we don’t know why the Board of Education asked Dr. Monifa McKnight to step down. There is a lot we do not know.
I want to note that Dr. McKnight took the helm of the school system at a very difficult time, and I know that she was committed to the students. I appreciate her service, and I wish her well.
I also appreciate that the Board of Education said they need to rebuild trust, but I want to note that rebuilding trust is not going to be as simple as hiring a new superintendent: some of the policies and problems, including issues around sexual harassment, go back many years and preceded Dr. McKnight’s tenure as superintendent. As an example, the Inspector General’s report referenced one report from 2019 before Dr. McKnight was superintendent.
Going forward, the MCPS administration and the Board will need to work with the dedicated teachers, school staff and the greater school community to address the issues the school system is currently facing.
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Release ID: 24-002